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“A visitor's guide to Ryoko Owari" by Soshi Komachi
Back to main page A note of public holidays and festivals: * Rat Winter (January) - New Years day - The Festival of the Moon’s Wrath * Ox Winter (February) - Liberation Day * Tiger Winter (March) * Hare Spring (April) - First Boar] * Dragon Spring (May) - the 7-5-3 Festival - Cherry Blossom Festival * Serpent Spring (June) - Porridge Stick day - Iris Festival * Horse Summer (July) - Chrysanthemum Festival * Goat Summer (August) * Monkey Summer (September) - Days of Generosity - Setsuban Festival * Rooster Autumn (October) - Kanto Festival * Dog Autumn (November) - Bon Festival * Boar Autumn (December) - Festival of the River of Stars - New Year’s Eve New Years Day: 1st day of the Rat (January) The year’s festivals traditionally begin with the Festival of the New Year, held on the first day of the Month of the Hare, the first day of spring and thus a moment of rebirth. This is the most elaborate of Rokugan’s annual festivals, and is generally regarded as the most important as well. All Rokugani celebrate their birthday on New Year’s Day, regardless of when they were actually born, so this festival is also a major family celebration for samurai and heimin alike. Every city and town decorates its temples and streets, and every family takes this occasion to gather together, visit the local shrines, and pay formal calls on relatives and friends. (These latter activities can become quite elabourate among the samurai caste, with extensive exchanges of gifts and formalized well-wishes.) Flowers, symbolic of spring and fertility, are the favoured decoration, and can be seen strewn across the streets and placed decoratively on every house. The festival concludes in the evening with parades, music, and fireworks. A pious and proper Rokugani family will spend the day after the festival at home, thanking the kami for another fruitful year The Festival of the Moon’s Wrath - 7th Day of the Rat (January) The Festival of the Moon’s Wrath is one of the few festivals celebrated during the winter months, when the Emerald Empire is covered in snow and gathering for celebrations is difficult. Snow (setsu) is the primary symbol of winter, just as cherry blossoms symbolize spring. The white colour of snow, the colour of death, is of course very symbolic for winter itself, which functions in the same manner for the turning seasons as death functions on the Celestial Wheel. However, snow can also become a symbol of rebirth, when a single flower or a tiny blade of new grass breaks the stark white of snow-cover. Many courtiers believe snow is the most essential symbol of Winter Court itself, when the samurai of the Empire gather peacefully to discuss the old year and make plans for the next one—plans which will emerge from winter’s peace just as grass emerges from snow. The Festival of the Moon’s Wrath began in the earliest days of the Empire. The Rokugani both revered and feared the Moon, Lord Onnotangu, the jealous and vengeful husband of Amaterasu. Onnotangu had helped Amaterasu create the world, but he looked down with contempt and anger at the mortals who filled it, just as he had looked down on his own children when he tried to destroy them. Nor could his hostile attention be escaped—the moon was always in the sky, ever-watchful. The Festival of the Moon’s Wrath was intended as much to appease him and turn aside his wrath as it was to venerate him. Liberation Day - 1st day of the Ox (February) G4 The Liberation Day festival is held on the first day of every Month of the Ox, and celebrates the return of Ryoko Owari to Scorpion control after a year of Crab occupation. In honour of the triumphant return ofShosuro Sanekata, this is a day of feasting and open celebration. Each district of the city (except the Leatherworker Quarter, of course) picks a group of men who dress up in wooden or paper versions of Crab clan mempos and armour. Starting at the Moment's Edge Bridge (L24), these men march to Goblin's Rest Road, and then proceed down the road towards the Gate of Oni's Teeth (L14). All along the way, they are invited by onlookers to trade their armour for food, drinks, pipes of tobacco, cheap trinkets and (in some cases) the kisses of beautiful and immodest women. By the time they reach the Gate of Oni’s Teeth, they are naked except for loincloths, in order to represent the Crab soldiers' lack of discipline. They are then given heavy stones and required to march all the way to the Tower of the East Eye and pile their stones there. At this point, many in the parade are badly drunk, so not all of them make it, but a good time is had by all. A traditional food for this festival is crab meat stewed in sake, eaten from its own shell. The First Boar - 30th day of the Hare (April) G3 Every spring, the forest around Ryoko Owari echoes with glad cries of hunters searching for the first Boar. Every year, the competition between nobles to fell the first of these large animals is fierce. This is not only because the nobles are eager to test their skill and courage against a vicious, sometimes deadly creature; it's also because the samurai who kills the year's first boar is given additional hunting rights. A family is usually limited to two bear, a dozen stags, two dozen deer and twenty foxes per year. However, the family that first delivers a boar to the Governor is allowed to kill two additional bear (though few ever kill even their first two), three more stags, another eight deer, and fourteen more foxes. More importantly, no one may hunt stags until a boar has been killed and given to the Governor. The Governor traditionally has the boar's skin made into a fine saddle for the boar's killer, while its skull is boiled in wax and put on display in the Hall of Trophies. The gamy meat of the animal is usually given in payment to the Leatherworker who makes the saddle. 7-5-3 Festival - 13th day of the Dragon (May) A lesser but still significant festival, the 7-5-3 Festival celebrates the children of the Empire and is venerated on the thirteenth day of the Dragon by heimin and samurai alike. The name of the festival is based around three numbers (7, 5, and 3) which are generally considered unlucky by Rokugani. Boys at the age of five and girls at the ages of three and seven are considered especially vulnerable to bad luck and evil spirits, and this festival is designed in large part to counteract such bad fortune. At dawn on the day of the festival, these children go to the local shrines, where the monks of the Brotherhood bless them and pray for their futures. The monks burn incense, ring bells, and light candles to pray for their safe and healthy future. Traditionally, the children dress in their finest clothing for the occasion, and are accompanied by family members wearing white veils over their faces. It is believed these veils keep the spirits from paying attention to the family, so virtuous spirits and ancestors will see only the children and lavish their blessings solely upon them. After the family visits the shrine, it is considered lucky to also visit the local markets and buy chitose-ame (“thousandyear candy”), thereby including the ancestors of the last thousand years in the celebration. Cherry Blossom Festival - 23rd day of the Dragon (May) This may be the oldest of the flower-oriented festivals of Rokugan, dating back almost to the dawn of the Empire. A book called the Tale of Genji—a tale from the second century which celebrates the glorious youth of the Shining Prince, Hantei Genji—records what may be the first cherry blossom viewing. An entire chapter of this revered work is dedicated to describing a cherry-blossom viewing party where members of the Emperor Hantei I’s court gather under the blossoms to make merry with food, music, and poetry until late into the night. The book claims it is here the Shining Prince meets his eternal love, Oborozukiyo, the Lady of the Misty Moon, and this may be why romance and love are often associated with cherry blossoms. Of course, Rokugan’s veneration for cherry-blossoms predates the Tale of Genji. It is widely believed the celebration of cherry-blossoms began when Hantei I and his bride planted a cherry tree in the gardens of Otosan Uchi to celebrate the birth of their first son, Genji himself. However, this may be a later invention to justify a general spread of popular belief. the importance of the cherry blossom festival is based on a legend about Daikaihime, a minor Fortune who is the daughter of Kuroshin, the Fortune of Agriculture. Daikaihime is viewed as a goddess of spring and vernal abundance. According to popular belief, she sometimes descends from the Celestial Heavens to take possession of a cherry tree, so people who gather under blossoming cherry trees offer up their prayers to Kuroshin for a plentiful harvest. It is believed Daikaihime will carry their prayers to her father’s ears, ensuring they get a sympathetic hearing. Porridge Stick day - 8th day of the Snake (June) G5 The eighth day of every Month of the Snake is Porridge Stick Day, celebrating the day that Okami finally got the better of his wife Riko (L16) (L14). Okami, the great and powerful warrior, had only been married to his clever wife Riko for a short time before she came to realize that he was far from her equal in matters of cunning. She decided to test him by sending him on a nonsense errand. "Oh husband," she said to him. "Your foolish wife has broken her last left-handed widdershins porridge stick. I would send the servants for one, but they are such simpletons that they can never get the right kind. I would go myself - but while the Merchant Quarter has left-handed porridge sticks, and widdershins porridge sticks, they don't have sticks that are both. For those, you have to go to the Fisherman Quarter:' Okami certainly didn't want his wife venturing into an area as rife with ruffians as the Fisherman Quarter, so he asked her where in that area he could find a left-handed, widdershins porridge stick. "I'm afraid I simply don't recall the name of the merchant who makes them," she said, batting her eyes. So her great husband lumbered out of their house looking for a left-handed, widdershins porridge stick. Now, any sensible person knows that a porridge stick is simply a rod the length of a forearm and as thick as a finger. It can be used in either hand, turning the porridge in a circle to the left or the right. But Okami knew that his wife was a clever woman, and because he did not want to appear stupid to her, he set out to complete a task that made him look stupid to everyone he asked. For of course, no one had ever heard of a left-handed, widdershins porridge stick - and few were anxious to argue about it to a man of such massive and warlike aspect Okami Was not of a nature to go back on his word, or to admit that he had failed to do something when he said he would do it; so each day he set out to find the porridge stick, never giving up, even though he was quite tired of the puzzled looks of various people in the Fisherman Quarter. Since The episode on the Bridge of Drunken Lovers (L16), Riko had not seen her friend from the Crane clan, so one day she decided to invite him over to drink tea and gossip, as they had before she was married. She did this even though Okami had told her to keep away from him. "Don't worry about Okami,' she told her friend. "He will be gone all day on a foolish errand:' However, in this she was wrong; that was the very day that Okami completed his search. Ascertain cunning sailor had heard that a nobleman was looking for a left-handed, widdershins porridge stick, and so he took his fishing knife and carved up several rods into stirring sticks. Early the next day, he stood near the Gate of Condescension (L9) calling "Porridge sticks! Finest in the land! left-handed and widdershins, porridge sticks right here!" Presently, Okami emerged and, hearing his call, asked him if he had a porridge stick that was both left-handed and widdershins. "I'm not sure," said the cunning fisherman. "That is a rare and expensive item, and I may have sold my last...no wait, I have one right here!" And with that, he produced a stick upon which he had carved the words "left hand" and "widdershins'' Okami was overjoyed to have found the item at last, and while he thought the asking price of three koku seemed a bit expensive, he paid it because he was grateful to finally fulfil his promise. Imagine his chagrin, then, when he returned home and saw his Crane clan rival entering his house. Okami immediately stormed inside and, with much shouting and breaking of objects, ejected the offending Crane, who fled with a great deal of haste. Now, however, Okami had another problem. All his neighbours had seen him fling the Crane from his home, and all had heard Him shouting. It did not take them long to surmise that the Crane had been Rikos lover - even though this was not true, and Riko, Okami and the Crane man himself all denied it. The Crane's rapid flight from the city did more to confirm their suspicions than allay them. As for Riko, it was as if her eyes had been opened. The speed with which her former suitor fled made her realize what a coward the Crane was and, furthermore, had always been. When she understood this, she also saw how honourable her husband had been, spending day after day seeking something as trivial as a porridge stick. She went to her husband and flung herself at his feet, confessing her deceitfulness with many tears but assuring him that she had never been unfaithful with the Crane. It took some explaining before Okami finally grasped the situation, but when he did, his mind was greatly disturbed. "You have had a man in my home after I expressly forbade it," he said at last. "Even if you were not his lover, you ought to be punished. What is the accepted punishment in Ryoko Owari?" At this, Riko turned pale, but because she now respected him she told him the truth. "You are supposed to publicly beat me with a staff," she whispered. He thought for a moment, then said, "So be it:' Soon, she found herself standing before her neighbours and peers, waiting for her husband to come and beat her with a staff. She was trembling - and well she might, for her husband's arms were each as thick around as both of her legs. When he arrived, he was carrying a massive tree trunk, as thick as her waist. The entire crowd gasped. "My wife has wronged me and disobeyed my rules," Okami said, swinging the tree trunk. "Now I shall give her the punishment she deserves for her lies. Wife, turn your back, for I would not want you to have to see this coming:' Pale and terrified, she turned and braced herself. She did not see him pull from his sleeve his specially carved porridge stick, and it was with that slender rod that he struck her one time, across her backside. "This is her punishment," he told the neighbours. "For while she did disobey me, she did not betray me with that man, and anyone who calls her a shameful woman can answer to me:' With that,they went home. Nine months later, they had their first son. Since that time, women of Ryoko Owari have celebrated the event by carrying porridge sticks with them on this day and using them to swat each other on the backside. As one might imagine, this can cause a great deal of confusion, but it is also amusing to watch women from all walks of life and stations clutching porridge sticks as if they were swords, waiting for the chance to smack their friends. Naturally, it is only considered proper to hit those of your own (or lesser) station, and only then with affection. Furthermore, while the women of Ryoko Owari will endure vicious sounding strikes from their fellow women, they often become vehemently upset if a man dares to engage in the same behaviour. Iris Festival - 25th Day of the Serpent (June) (also known as the Doll Festival or Kite Festival) This festival is actually two separate events held simultaneously, one celebration focused on female children and the other on males. In the ancient past these were separate events, but over the centuries they merged together into a single festival celebrating the positive qualities of children (as opposed to the 7-5-3 Festival, which seeks to protect them from negative influences). In contrast to some of the other festivals, the Iris Festival tends to be more favoured by samurai families than by commoners, although the wealthier heimin do try to participate to some extent. Rokugani of all castes see the Iris Festival as a celebration not just of children but of what children represent: purity, promise, and hope for the future. The Doll Festival is the female side of the celebration, and girls participate by dressing in special green kimono and showing off elaborate displays of their dolls (which, among samurai, are quite expensive and are designed for decoration, not play). A favoured activity is for the girls to arrange their dolls in the front room of their house, forming them into a “court” of tiered platforms complete with Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians. The girls also customarily visit their friends during the festival, expressing respect (sincere or otherwise) for the beauty of their dolls. The long narrow leaves of the iris flower are thought to symbolize the sharp blades of a sword, and many Rokugani place iris leaves in boys’ baths to give them a martial spirit. The male side of the festival focuses on encouraging symbols of manly strength and courage for boys who may well grow up to be warriors. Boys are expected to display warrior dolls outside their houses and to fly streamers and kites of brilliant colours and styles, symbols of success. Typically, children of both genders receive expensive gifts from their families during this festival. These are not toys but rather things they will need as adults, such as weapons or court kimono. There are also customary foods associated with the festival, particularly various kinds of rice cakes, often filled with bean paste and wrapped in grass, oak leaves, or bamboo leaves. Chrysanthemum Festival (Choyo no Sekku) - 6th Day of the Horse (July) One of the most lavish festivals in Rokugan, second only to the New Year’s Festival, the Chrysanthemum Festival takes place on the sixth day of the Month of the Horse, generally believed to be the day the eight Kami first fell to the earth. The Chrysanthemum is the symbol of the Hantei dynasty, representing their ties to the Sun Goddess and Hantei’s position as pre-eminent among all the Kami. Thus the Chrysanthemum Festival is a celebration of both the Emperor’s family line and of the founders of the original Seven Clans. In its full glory, the Chrysanthemum Festival is one of the most elaborate celebratory rituals in Rokugan. For seven days, four before the Festival and three after, almost all labour stops in the Empire—even peasants are not permitted to lift their tools. (The hinin, however, are exempt from this rule—garbage and refuse must still be collected, even during this sacred time.) Only on the day of the Festival itself can anyone work, and even then only in celebration of the Hantei and the other seven Kami. The actual celebration encompasses every sort of ritual and wonder, from pious prayers to spectacular fireworks and music. It has long been rumoured that on the fourth day following the Chrysanthemum celebration, the inhabitants of the Shadowlands stage a massive, bloody bonfire, hurling captives and other unfortunates into the flames to celebrate the prophesied return of the Dark One, Fu Leng. Thus on the fourth day after the Chrysanthemum Festival many Rokugani choose to remain indoors rather than tempt the attention of evil spirits. Days of Generosity: 1st day of the Monkey (September) G6 Taxes are collected during the Month of the Monkey, and by the full moon of that month, the local nobles are generally feeling quite rich and, consequently cheerful. They therefore take this time to take a portion of their tax earnings and spend them on generous gifts for their fellow nobles. The first Day of Generosity is spent selecting the King (or Queen) of Generosity. This is overseen by the head priest of the Temple of Daikoku. Everyone who wishes may put a slip of paper with a name on it in a basket. One slip of paper is chosen by the priest, and that person becomes the Ruler of Generosity for the next day. The next day is a festival of gift giving, overseen by the King or Queen. Every noble past the age of gempukku is expected to participate, giving gifts to one or more fellow nobles. For each gift given, another is entrusted to the Ruler of Generosity. The Ruler does not get to keep all these "secondary gifts': but rather holds them in trust; for there is also an element of competition in the giving of gifts, with the Ruler deciding who has been the best giver of gifts. Some Rulers judge the best giver to be the person who gives the most gifts. Others say that the best giver is the person who gives the most gifts to individuals who only got one gift. In other words, the best giver is one who gives gifts even to those who are unimportant or generally disliked.) Still others try to find out who received the most gifts, and judge which of those gifts is the finest. The best giver receives his or her choice of the finest items that the Ruler holds in trust, and the Ruler can keep or dispose of the others as he or she sees fit. Setsuban Festival - 8th Day of the Monkey (September) Just as blossoming cherry trees are a revered symbol of spring, the bright tones of leaves turning in the autumn are symbols of the fall. Even in the very earliest days of Rokugan, expeditions to view autumn foliage were a popular entertainment, and with the passage of time these activities became formalized into the Setsuban Festival. The festival’s timing—at the end of summer—soon came to grant it further significance: since spring and summer were the seasons favourable to war, the arrival of autumn came to symbolize the arrival of peace. The Setsuban Festival is held on the eighth day of the Monkey, a day considered especially lucky and auspicious. No man may shed blood on that day—all executions are put off, battles and campaigns are halted, and criminals may even be granted freedom and clemency. Many of the more pious clans forbid their samurai from even carrying weapons in public on this day, lest they inadvertently break the sacred truce. The Empire of Rokugan may be a place governed by warriors, but on this day it sets war aside to celebrate the coming of peace. Kanto Festival - 2nd day of the Rooster (October) The Kanto Festival originated during the most primitive times of Rokugan’s history, along with the Setsuban Festival and the Iris Festival, probably before the Kami had even completed organizing the people into clans. Scholars believe the Kanto Festival derives its name and purpose from a legend among the ancient tribes of Isawa, who believed “during summer, you are overcome by sleepiness from heat and intense labour and catch a sleep disease.” Thus, on the second day of the Rooster, in the hottest part of the summer, the Rokugani common people raise kanto, great poles of lumber inlaid with chips of rose quartz, to drive the sleepiness away. These poles are decorated with colourful lanterns, which are kept lit night and day for three full days— supposedly to draw out the sleepiness and encourage hard work and productivity. The festival has a secondary role as well: the kanto poles are traditionally carved in the form of ears from rice plants, expressing hope for a bountiful harvest in the fall. Bon Festival - 28th of the Dog (November) This ancient festival of reverence for the dead, sometimes also called the Paper Lantern Festival, is held on the last day of the month of the Dog. The Bon Festival pays honour to the dead, appeases the souls of the ancestors, and allows the living a time of remembrance: an opportunity to speak to their lost friends and family members and try to come to grips with the enigma of mortality. The highlights of the Bon Festival are the great parades and displays which fill the streets of almost every major city in Rokugan. Representations of the Kami, the celestial Dragons, and innumerable ghosts, ancestors, and other beings of the spirit realms fill every city, transforming them into strange and mystical realms. Although these celebrations are especially popular among the common people, samurai do not hold entirely aloof, and in some places (such as Ryoko Owari and the Mantis Isles) they join into the event with the same enthusiasm as lesser folk. The Rokugani believe that during the Bon Festival, when death and the spirit realms are celebrated and revered, the dead souls of the past come closest to their heirs in the living world. Every man and woman’s ancestors look on every action they have taken for the last year, making this the time to atone for any misdeeds and seek the ancestors’ wisdom and blessings. Although the Bon Festival is a celebration of mortality, this includes life as well as death. Parades, music, traditional dances, and fireworks all figure prominently in the festival. Small cakes, made from bleached white rice and covered in brown sugar, are traditionally served during the festival, reminding people that death (symbolized by the colour white) is a part of life and is always present, even if hidden. Customarily, the end of the Bon Festival is signalled by lighting small coloured paper lanterns, each marked with the name of someone who died during the past year. The Rokugani believe souls who are unable to leave the mortal world can follow these lanterns to Meido for judgment. They also believe these same lanterns can light the way back to Yomi for ancestral spirits who return during the festival. Festival of the River of Stars - 9th Day of the Boar (December) In the night sky above Rokugan is a bright star-filled arc known as the River of Stars (and sometimes as the “Necklace of Amaterasu”). On either side of this celestial road lie two exceptionally bright stars, veritable jewels of the sky, known to the Rokugani as the Weaver Star and the Cowherd Star Legend claims these stars are lovers, able to meet only once a year on the ninth day of the ninth month. In legend, the first star is named after Tanata, a weaving maiden from the Isawa tribes, while the second star has the name of Ujihata, a simple cowherd from the lands claimed by Akodo. The two were not allowed to marry, and prayed to the Fortunes to grant some way for them to be together. Supposedly, Tanata was so fine a weaver the Fortunes themselves were smitten by her skill and wished it for themselves. When Tanata and Ujihata died, the Fortunes took them into the Heavens and placed them by the River of Stars, so they could see one another across the star-road without dishonouring their families. Through the Fortunes’ mercy, once each year the two are allowed to be together for a single night. The Festival of the River of Stars is a festival for lovers and is considered the most romantic day of the year. Samurai and commoners alike turn out on this night to “chaperone” the two celestial lovers. Many mortal lovers take advantage of this to meet secretly while their friends and family are away. Because this night is considered most auspicious for those smitten by lover, many Rokugani write their romantic wishes on long, narrow strips of coloured paper—prayer ribbons—and hang them on tree branches, often accompanied by small ornaments or other offerings. Of course, wise lovers make sure their wishes are written in an indirect or alliterative manner, since the unscrupulous or impious could take advantage of this tradition to acquire blackmail on them. New Year’s Eve (Toshi no Ichi)— 28th Day of the Boar (December) The counterpoint to the New Year’s Day Festival is the festival of the year’s end, called Toshi no Ichi, held on the final day of the old year (the twenty-eighth day of the month of the Tiger). This event is designed to prepare the Empire for the coming new year, and is observed with equal vigor by samurai and commoners alike. It is believed the Celestial Heavens look down with special favour on Rokugan at New Year’s Day, so the end of the year is a time to cleanse and prepare for that moment. Houses are cleaned, streets are brushed clear, and daimyo customarily issue new clothes to all the peasants under their jurisdiction. During these cleansing rituals, Rokugani peasants traditionally hang a rope of straw known as a shimenawa inside their houses, preventing evil spirits from entering the place. At the conclusion of the festival, these strips of straw are burned along with any other trappings or decorations from the festival, so all old spirits are purged and kharma is cleansed for the New Year’s celebrations the next morning. Similarly, both commoner and samurai families create special altars within their houses known as toshidana, covered with rice cakes and bottles of sake, to honour the spirits of the New Year when they arrive the next morning. At dusk during the New Year’s Eve Festival, the monks of the Brotherhood of Shinsei conduct a great ritual cleaning of their temples. Throughout the Emerald Empire, temples are emptied, scrubbed, and cleansed with fresh water. Their bells are rung to drive out any lingering evil spirits. The bells toll a total of 49 times (seven times seven, for the benevolent and wrathful aspects of the seven Great Fortunes), the temples are fully cleansed, and visitors are welcomed back inside. Origins of the city: Ryoko Owari was founded by Shosuro Kaneie during the reign of Hantei the Ninth. At that time the boundaries between the Crab and Scorpion lands were very different, and a fort was needed to protect the Shosuro logging interests in the Hidden Forest. It is said that Kaneie had an unusual degree of friendship with the Emerald Champion of that time; certainly the Champion extended several extremely (some might say "suspiciously") generous gestures towards this budding city, including protection by Imperial forces stationed at the Plains of Thunder. The settlement around the fort prospered when a truce was (temporarily) struck between the Scorpion and Crab clans. This was due in no small part to an eagerness by the Crab to put more effort into building ships. Not only had that year seen a naval increase by the Phoenix clan (who were at that time somewhat more militant than today), but there were also disturbing reports of aquatic monsters attacking the coast. Naturally the Crab clan had their own sources of wood, but their demand exceeded local supply. The settlement around Kaneie's fort was well positioned to fell trees and ship them downstream, and certain tax incentives from the Emerald Champion made it economically feasible to do so. (There are stories that the Scorpion sold the Crab inferior timber, causing delays in ship building and eventually stalling out the Crab's plans of conquering the Phoenix coast. However, no evidence exists to support this allegation - and a Crab who loses will say anything.) A small town had soon developed by the bay to the north of the fort. Kaneie named the town "journey's End" in hopes of attracting settlers - an act which arguably succeeded, though personally I give much of the credit to the aggressive and radical policies of the sixth Governor (G12,Gl3). The City’s Locations: Every city, like every person, has a unique quality, a set of actions and expectations and beliefs that sets it apart. Ryoko Owari is no different; but where some cities are dour and standoffish, or formal and indifferent, Ryoko Owari is welcoming and light-hearted! Visit one of our many fine inns, sample the best sake brewed in Rokugan, and find out why so many visitors have decided to stay here, at Journey's End City. The City Wall - L1 The walls of Ryoko Owari are eight feet thick and fifteen feet high, made of the finest black granite quarried in Rokugan. Builders call this granite (from the Spine of the World Mountains) "starry" granite because it has flecks of crystal in it that catch the light, making twinkling stars in the black stone. The walls around the Noble Quarter are even higher (twenty feet) and ten feet thick! The Bay of Drowned Honour - L2 The story of the Bay of Drowned honour is a noble and tragic one, dating back to the reign of the third Governor. Two nobles of the Scorpion Clan had quarrelled, and the matter could only be resolved with blood. They resolved to meet at the Moment's Edge Bridge at dusk, for a duel to the death. That day, a great storm rolled in off the Plains of Thunder, but the two samurai were undeterred. Even though everyone urged them to postpone their duel,both insisted that their honour would not wait. They stood at the centre of the bridge and prepared to draw, when there was a crack of thunder and a great wave swept one of the samurai over the edge of the bridge. The second immediately dove in after him. Their bodies were found the next day, clinging tight to one another. To this day, no one knows if they died fighting each other in the water, or swimming together to land and finish their duel. The Noble Quarter The Noble Quarter of Ryoko Owari is a poem in stone. Its beauty has many levels; in addition to the surface loveliness, which can be seen by any passing merchant or mendicant, the Noble Quarter also serves as a metaphor for the relationship between its dwellers and the rest of the city. Just as the children of the Kami are closer to heaven, so is the Noble Quarter, raised up on Noble Hill. Just as there are important barriers to keep the social ranks pure, so is there a thick and beautiful wall around the Noble Quarter. As the nobles look after the heimin, as a parent looks after a child, so does the Noble Quarter watch over Ryoko Owari. The Shosuro Palace - L3 The top of the Shosuro Governor's Palace is the highest spot in Ryoko Owari. (However, the Palace is not the tallest building; that honour belongs to the Temple of Daikoku, built on the plains below Noble Hill.) Built out of Hidden Forest cedar, fronted with local limestone, and supported by bricks from local clay, the palace was built completely from materials sold in Ryoko Owari. The Ide residence - L4 The Ide residence is an exotic fixture in Ryoko Owari, being designed in foreign style. It consists of a round central building with a dome on top, flanked by long outbuildings on the right and left sides. The family dwells in the round central building, while the left wing is a large family temple and the right wing is an extensive set of stables. The Scorpion Garden - L5 This lovely garden was constructed by the twelfth Governor of Ryoko Owari, a man named Shosuro Atsusuke, to commemorate an imperial visit. It is the largest garden in the city, and is unparalleled in the region for the artistry of its construction. Since the return of our Unicorn neighbours, part of the garden has been set aside to display exotic blossoms and foreign animals. The garden was built to front the bath house of the Noble Quarter. Built of highly polished green limestone, the bath house is one of the oldest buildings in Ryoko Owari, dating to the reign of the second Governor. Visitors are often startled by a unique custom of this bath house. In honour of the Scorpion tradition of mask wearing, everyone wears a gauze veil while in the bath house. Some visitors find it disconcerting to cover their features while bathing, but it is a venerable custom, the thin gauze does not interfere with cleanliness, and many natives feel most "naked" when their faces are exposed. The Magistrate Residence - L6 This stout yet graceful residence serves as the home for the local Emerald Magistrate. The view from the front is imposing and stern, but it masks an interior garden reserved for the Magistrate and his guests. The business rooms are understandably plain and functional, but the lesser and greater interiors are said to be extremely comfortable and charming. The Civic Hall - L7 Heart of the civic government and set of judgement for disputes. The Grand Courtroom is a replica of the courtroom in the Imperial City given to Sochi Saibankan (who is renowned along with Doji Hatsuo are considered the creators of both the Imperial Legal system and the Emerald Magistrates.) for his services to the Empire. The Pious Gate - L8 The gate between the Noble Quarter and the Temple Quarter is a wide and handsome one. Reaching across the top is the lucky boat of the Seven Fortunes, all carved from the local green limestone. The doors, gifts of the Crane clan on the city's 500th anniversary, are brass fronted. The sides facing the Temple Quarter each contain eight panels depicting events from the lives of Hantei Jimmu Tennu and the Seven Kami. The sides facing the Noble Quarter also have eight panels, each depicting events from the lives of Shinsei and the Seven Thunders. The depiction of seven Thunders, Fortunes and Kami is one reason this is sometimes called the Sevenfold Gate. The Gate of Condescension - L9 This rather simple and unadorned gate is the narrowest of the gates into the Noble Quarter, since there is little need for traffic between the Noble and Merchant Quarter. Its stout oak doors open to a steep cobblestone road. The Dragons Gate - L10 This magnificent structure was built by the architect Kenchikuka L11 L16 during the reign of Hantei XV. The gates are made of stone, and each is carved with five twining dragons. There is a lever inside the tower which can easily be moved by a young child; when the lever is to the right, the doors can barely be opened by five strong men. When the lever is to the right, however, a hidden series of rollers shifts the balance of the doors - and they can be pushed open by a single person. No one is sure how Kenchikuka engineered this; the entire gate would have to be dismantled to examine the workings of the lever, and the architect only allowed the workmen to work on the mechanism for a single day each, so that no one saw all the parts. Shugenja have examined it and declare that it is not the work of awakened spirits; they've poured water into the workings and then interrogated the water spirits, but to little effect, since the interior is too dark to see the gears. It remains a mystery to this day. The tower next to the gate is decorated with a dragon figure twining around it, and serves as the headquarters of the Thunder Guard G10. The Bridge of the Dragon L11 The view from the Bridge of the Dragon, between the pillars that support the roof, is one of the finest sights in Ryoko Owari. To the north, one can look out over the Bridge of Drunken Lovers (L16) and the Bay of Drowned honour (L2). To the south, one can survey Teardrop Island. And of course, the bridge itself is worth viewing. Carved in the shape of a two headed dragon, it is hard to walk onto the bridge, through the dragon's mouth, without a shiver of fear. The Temple Quarter The Temple of Daikoku - L12 The tallest building in Ryoko Owari is also one of the most beautiful. Pilgrims from all over Rokugan come to the Temple of Daikoku to ask for a blessing from the Abbot (P37), or to pray to the Fortune of Wealth. Few merchants passing along the Mountain Goblin's Rest Road will miss the opportunity to visit the temple - if only to marvel at the strange antics of the monks, or stare at the statue in the courtyard. Twenty feet tall and made of pink granite carried all the way from the Dragon clan mountains, it is the largest statue of Daikoku in the world! The Temple of the Sun Goddess - L13 This graceful structure dates from the rule of the fifth Governor, and is notable for the white limestone used in its construction. It is said that when the first priestess of the temple came to Ryoko Owari, she went out into the wilderness and told her servants to dig under a certain hillside. There, they struck a vein of white limestone, which they used to construct the temple. They ran out of the rare white stone the day the temple was completed, and no more has been found in the area since that time. The Gate of Oni’s Teeth - L14 The original gate here was torn down and enlarged as traffic in the area grew. The first gate was built by the Suna family (L2) but was replaced with a structure honouring the lovers Riko and Okami (GS, L16) after they freed the city from Oni no Hukuro, the dreadful Owl With Teeth. The demon was reported to be twenty feet tall, with the head and wings of an owl, and legs that were shaped like human arms. If you examine the teeth embedded in the road,you can see that they're as long as a shinbone - lending credence to the reports of Hukuro's great size. Oni no Hukuro flew from the great forest one day and began tormenting the people of Ryoko Owari - carrying off young maidens, dropping great stones upon the temples and terrifying the peasants in the fields. The magistrate could not stop it; the priests could not stop it; the Thunder Guards (G10) could not stop it. Seeing this, Okami decided that he would be the one to kill the demon, and he set forth in his armour, getting great cheers from everyone in the city. He rode out the Fisherman Gate and into the forest, and there he found the great Owl Demon sitting in a tree. "Come down and fight!" Okami said. Now, the Owl Demon was afraid of Okami, because he knew Okami's heart was pure. Therefore he decided to trick him. "I accept your challenge," the oni said, "And to show the respect I have for you, I will give you the choice of weapons:' Okami thought this was very fair, and he immediately said "Katana:' "Very well. Katana it is. Would you care to name a time?" 'As soon as possible!" "No time like the present. A place?" "Right here:' At that the Owl Demon clucked and cooed, finally saying, "I'm not sure I am completely comfortable with that. After all, this tree is my home. If I am fortunate enough to kill you, I should hate to have the blood of such a courageous bushi polluting my residence:' "Very well; name your place:' "Perhaps the Great Lunar Cave?" (L30) "Certainly" The two travelled to the cave, and,with a gracious bow, the Oni gestured for Okami to precede him. Anxious to begin the battle, Okami went in, whereupon the Owl Demon rolled a great stone over the entrance, trapping him inside. "That wasn't very difficult," the Owl-Demon said. "I will let you out when you agree to give me your name:' "Never!" "Very well; enjoy your lingering, honourless death:' With that, the Owl Demon departed, cooing with laughter. Okami no doubt would have starved if a mujina had not heard him praying to the Fortunes for freedom from his predicament. "How did you come to be trapped?" asked the mujina. When Okami told him what had happened, the mujina laughed and laughed. ''Truly, that was a marvelous trick," the mujina said. "Oh, that was nothing compared to the trick my wife played on me," Okamisaid, and told the mujina the story of the porridge stick (G5). "I wonder who is the more clever," the mujina said, "The Owl Demon, or your wife?" "I can think of no way to find out," Okami said. The question of which was the more clever plagued the mujina until eventually he was driven to run into Ryoko Owari on his quick little legs and find Riko. "I know where your husband is, for he has been imprisoned," the mujina told her. "I will tell you where if you can outwit the Owl Demon:' On hearing that, Riko immediately put on her husband's training armour and went into the forest. "Oni no Hukuro!" she cried, "I am Riko, brother of Okami,and I have come to kill you!" Seeing another samurai, the Owl Demon came down and asked "What makes you think you will succeed where your brother failed?" "I will succeed," Riko said "Because I am even stronger than my brother:' "Oh really?" "Indeed. Name any boulder along the riverbank, and I will break it into pieces before the next sunrise:' "If you fail?" Riko took a deep breath. "You shall have my name:' 'And if you succeed?" ''Then I shall put a test of strength to you:' "Very well," the oni said, and selected a boulder as long as a horse, and as thick as a mill-wheel. Riko, however, did not strike at it even one time; instead, she began gathering a great quantity of wood,and soon she had built a roaring fire all around the rock. Then she took a shovel and began digging a trench around the stone and to the riverbank. She only stopped digging to add wood to the fire, and only stopped feeding the fire when it was too hot to approach. Just before sunrise, the Owl Demon returned. "What are you about?" he asked. "I said you were to break the stone, not set it on fire. Your name is mine!" "I will break it - but with cleverness, not strength," Riko said, and with that, she completed her channel from the river to the stone. When the cold river water touched the red-hot stone, the contrary elements smashed the stone to pieces. "NowI have a test of might for you - remove the stone in front of the Great Lunar Cavern:' The Owl Demon was filled with dread, but it had to fulfill her command. Okami had been sitting in the cavern, nursing his anger at the Owl Demon, and when it lifted the stone he leaped out and killed it with a single stroke. Okami pried the teeth from the Owl Demon's head and set them in the ground outside the gate,so that everyone who walked by could trample them with their filthy feet. Riko had the blackened pieces of the stone she had broken collected, and these were set into the gate. That is why it is now called the Gate of Oni's Teeth. The Merchants Quarter The Little Gate - L15 This gate leads to the docks that allow access to the licensed district on Teardrop Island. However the small entryway was intentionally designed to make the wearing of armour or carrying of large weapons a significant impediment to entry. The Bridge of Drunken Lovers - L16 This bridge was built by Ryoko Owari's ninth governor, and was one of the first projects of the famous architect Kenchikuka (L10) (L11). At the time it was called the Magnificent Bridge because of its width and splendid decorations. In time its name changed; this is how. Long ago, there lived a woman named Riko who was renowned throughout the city for her cunning. However, her father was sad, for though he had nine daughters, he had no sons At this same time, in the distant Lion lands there was a young warrior named Okami who was making quite a name for himself as a fearless and deadly fighter. However, his father was unhappy, because their family was poor. It happened that the father of Riko learned that Okami's family had produced only boy children for the last six generations. Hoping to marry his daughter to Okami, and get a grandson before his death, he proposed a marriage and offered a great sum as a dowry. The idea of the marriage pleased Okami's father a great deal, for he had need of money. Therefore, he asked his son to write a letter to Riko. When Okami had completed it, his father was appalled. Though a great warrior, his son was no poet and was lacking in certain graces of wit and mind. Therefore, Okami's father recopied the letter, making a number of changes, and passed it on to Rikos father. Now, Riko's father was also uneasy, for he knew his clever daughter had a sharp and sometimes unpleasant manner of speaking - to men especially. Therefore, he opened the letter from Okami and, finding it a bit crude and provincial, recopied it, adding certain phrases and passages he thought his daughter would find pleasing. When Riko read the letter, she immediately wrote a reply, which her father read, changed and recopied before passing it to Okamis father, who also read, changed and recopied it before giving it to his son. In this fashion, Riko and Okami corresponded for half a year, during which neither read more than one word in ten from the other. Now, at this same time there was a certain Crane gentleman who had an interest in Riko - an interest that increased as her father announced her vast dowry. He had encouraged her to reject or dissuade her distant Lion clan suitor, and though she tried, none of her harsh words could make it past the two fathers, both intent on a marriage of mutual advantage. In due time, it was decided that Riko and Okami should meet. Riko's father suggested dusk (for he knew his daughter was no great beauty and hoped that the lengthening shadows would add allure to her features) and Okami's father suggested the Magnificent Bridge (for he knew his son was no great thinker, and hoped that the Magnificent Bridge was obvious enough that even Okami could find it). As the time of the meeting came closer, both fathers grew nervous. Okami's father knew that, although Okami was fearless in battle, he sometimes became quiet and shy around women, especially beautiful ones. Since Riko's father had told him that Riko was lovely as the dawn, he was afraid his son would become shy and say nothing. As for Riko's father, he was increasingly afraid that his daughter would say something sarcastic and offend her provincial suitor. So, Okami and Riko became nervous. Okami was nervous because he, too, had heard that Riko was beautiful almost beyond bearing, while Riko was unsure if she wanted to marry anyone, let alone a strange Lion instead of her friend the Crane. Consequently, both Okami and Riko took several drinks of liquor before the meeting to give themselves courage. Neither had imagined that their fathers would also ply them with sake on their way to the bridge. Okami's father hoped the sake would loosen his son's tongue, while Riko's father hoped it would still hers. By the time they reached the bridge, both were very drunk. Things still might have been different if Riko's Crane friend was not waiting upon the scene. As the drunken Okami staggered towards the bridge, the Crane approached him and asked him where he was going. "The Magnificent Bridge," Okami said. "I'm supposed to meet my fiancee there for the first time:' The Crane briefly considered sending him to the wrong bridge, but then decided to make him look so foolish that Riko would refuse to marry him. "Oh my," said the Crane. "Looking like that? That will never do. Haven't you heard of the latest fashion?" "Fashion?" "Yes, you simply must carry a flower behind each ear when courting. It's all the rage:' "Flower?" "If you really want to impress her, carry a third blossom between your teeth. When you see her, don't speak a word, but embrace her firmly and pass her the flower with a kiss:' The Crane providentially had three large, garish blossoms, which he gave the Lion samurai, then sent him off, confident that he would make an utter fool of himself. The Lion did indeed look foolish with a flower behind each ear and another clutched in his mouth. Even his small wit could imagine, and at the foot of the bridge he could not resist bending down to look at his reflection. As he bent, both flowers slid from his ears and fell in the water. Upset, the Lion opened his mouth to curse, and the third flower fell as well. Seeing his finery float downstream,the disconsolate Lion pulled out a tiny bottle of sake and finished it cold. Now thoroughly inebriated, both suitors staggered onto the bridge and saw each other. Okami was highly fuddled, but still remembered being told something about "don't speak a word, but embrace her firmly" and so he did just that. Riko was too surprised to speak before his lips had found hers. Seeing their children embracing, the two fathers (who had, naturally, lurked near the bridge to watch events) rushed forth, proclaimed a match blessed by love at first sight, and arranged the nuptials before Riko and Okami had even said their first words to each other. Since that time, the bridge has been called the Bridge of Drunken Lovers. The Garden of Daikoku - L17 This handsome garden was built and paid for by area merchants to show their gratitude to the Fortune who has blessed Ryoko Owari with such prosperity. This garden is located at the junction of two major trade routes - the Mountain Goblin's Rest Road and the Road Once Hidden - and many merchant travellers will stop here to exchange news in the Poppy Garden. The monks from the local Temple of Daikoku (L1Z) can often be found here tending the Garden of Contemplation. The Gate of Increasing Fortune - L18 This wide gate opens Ryoko Owari to the trade goods of the Scorpion Clan's eastern half. While less magnificent than the Gate of Oni's Teeth, it still provides an impressive welcome to visiting merchants, as it is topped by images of Daikoku, the friendly Fortune of Wealth. The Unicorn Gate - L19 When the Unicorn returned, bearing their many wondrous treasures from abroad, they found Ryoko Owari a welcome home for their merchant enterprises. They quickly established this as one of their most favoured locales for merchant patronage, building an impressive residence (L4) and offering to show their friendship by building a new gate to the city, and connecting the Scorpion's provinces to their own by a new road. Sadly, no pass could be found through the mountains to their lands - but the gate they built is a wonder, flanked by pillars of gold-flecked purple stone. The Unicorn say those pillars were carried over a thousand miles to reach Ryoko Owari! Stretched across the top of the gate is a thick polearm twenty feet long, captured from one of the many monsters the Unicorn Clan found in distant lands. The doors are made of an exotic white wood, carved with scenes of the Unicorn clan's foreign adventures. The Licenced Quarter Swords Polished - L20 Whilst it is traditional in some cases for a Samurai to entrust their weapons to a sword polisher when entering an inn or geisha house, the degree to which this is enforced in the rest of Rokugan is variable. However as the Licenced Quarter is an island and there is only one dock, all visitors must pass through the shop of Swords Polished, by long-tradition the ban on weapons is held absolutely, with not even a Wakazashi allowed beyond this shop. The Island Garden - L21 A beautiful garden host to a number of rare blooms gifted to the island from all over the Empire, especially by Unicorn visitors to the House of Foreign Stories who have contributed a number of exotic seeds from beyond the Empire. This is a common place for people to rest and enjoy some privacy and night air in the many turns and hidden alcoves that cover the garden. The House of Foreign Stories - L22 Few Samurai will ever travel beyond the bounds of the Empire. However many of the treasures from those exotic lands can be found here. This house includes a handful of barbarians who have painstakingly been taught the ways of polite society and even the skills of a Geisha. They also boast fine drinks from as far away as the isles of silk and the burning desert. A truly novel experience although once the novelty has faded it has less to offer. The House of The Morning Star - L23 Many visitors to Ryoko Owari make it a point to visit the House of the Morning Star - a tea house whose entertainments are renowned throughout Rokugan. The Morning Star is on Teardrop Island, which houses the Licensed Quarter of Ryoko Owari. Reaching it involves a lovely sail through the peaceful waters of the River of Gold - a journey almost as serene as the destination. The House itself is modest and unassuming, as befits the refined entertainments presented within. Here one will find no vulgar display or garish excesses; no, the arts practised here are completely those of Rokugan, as traditional in their way as the services in a temple. Back to main page